In this third part I will finish providing the evidence that demonstrates
that Fox has synthesized life in the lab.

As I've stated before, however, none of this would invalidate the fact that
Fox's protocells are alive. So at this point we should now examine the
evidence that should establish this. In his symposium to the Pope and his
scientific staff, Fox listed a number of protophysiological properties of
proteinoid microsphere protocells: electrotactism (the ability to sense an
electrical field), protometabolism (the ability to perform catalytic
reactions), aggregation (the ability to collect into colonies), protomobility
(the ability to move more or less at will), osmosis (the ability to absorb
material from the environment), permselectivity (the ability to selectively
pass materials across a semi-permiable barrier), fission (the ability to
break about into smaller functional units), protoreproduction (the ability to
create functional copies), conjugation (the ability to join and pass material
directly to another), protocommunication (the ability to pass information to
another) and excitability (the ability to generate and utilize energy,
especially electrical fields). Some research that establishes these
properties includes:

Vaughan G, Przybylski AT, Fox SW. "Thermal proteinoids as
excitability-inducing materials." _BioSystems 1987; 20(3); 219-23 [This
paper demonstrates that the portion of a mixed proteinoid-lipid microsphere
that the electrical activity of an excitable protocell is caused by the
proteinoids and not the lipids.]

Matsuno K. "Self-sustaining multiplication and reproduction of microsystems
in protobiogenesis." _BioSystems_ 1981; 14(2):163-70 [This paper
demonstrates that not only can protocells reproduce, they can sustain it
through several generations.]

Hsu LL, Fox SW. "Interactions between diverse proteinoids and microspheres
in simulation of primordial evolution." _BioSystems_ 1976 July; 8(2):89-101
[This paper demonstrates that protocells can absorb and utilize a variety of
proteinoids with different catalytic functions, both from their environment
and from other protocells.]

Also in his symposium, Fox listed a number of protobiochemical properties of
proteinoid microsphere protocells: esterolysis (the ability to break ester
bonds), phosphatation (the ability to remove phosphate groups from
biomolecules), decarboxylation (the ability to remove CO2 groups from
biomolecules), peroxidation (the ability to use hydrogen peroxide to perfom
oxidation-reduction reactions), synthesis (the ability to create biomolecules
-- specifically peptides and polynucleotides using phosphate groups or ATP)
and photodecarboxylation (the ability to remove CO2 groups from biomolecules
using light energy). Some research that establishes these properties
includes:

Nakashima T, Fox SW. "Formation of peptides from amino acids by single or
multiple additions of ATP to suspensions of nucleoproteinoid microparticles."
_BioSystems_ 1981; 14(2):151-61 [The paper demonstrates that microspheres
made from lysine-rich proteinoids and acidic proteinoids can in the presence
of ATP synthesize small peptides and high-molecular-weight fractions of
substituted proteinoids.]

Nakashima T, Fox SW. "Selective condensation of aminoacyl adenylates by
nucleoproteinoid microparticles (prebiotic-lysine-model system-genetic
code)." _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA_ 1972 January;
69(1):106-8 [This paper demonstrates that microspheres made from lysine-rich
proteinoids and polynucleotides can synthesize polymers of amino acids
cojugated with adenylates, which could serve as the bridge between
proteinaceous information and genetic information.]

So, what conclusions can we draw from all this research? 1) Proteinoids have
amphiphilic properties (both polar and nonpolar character in the same
molecule but in different places); the microspheres they form are stable and
durable, have Gram-negative or Gram-positive character depending upon
composition, respond to osmotic gradients, form structured boundaries,
contain ultrastructures, are capapble of selective passage of molecules
through the boundary and are able to associate, form junctions and transfer
informational molecules between themselves. These are the properties of
cells, so proteinoid microspheres are cellular. See Fox and Dose 1977 for
more details.

2) Proteinoids possess a variety of enzyme-like catalytic activity; the
microspheres they form are able to integrate these individual activities to
form simple pathways that can breakdown molecules for energy, store the
energy in the form of other molecules, then use this energy to synthesize
macromolecules. These are the basic properties of metabolism, so proteinoid
microspheres possess metabolism. See Fox and Dose 1977 for more details.

3) Proteinoid microspheres are able to undergo fission and can bud off
microparticles that then grow into microspheres. Microspheres also have the
ability to propogate through these methods. These are the properties of
reproduction, so proteinoid microspheres are capable of reproduction. See
Fox and Dose 1977 for more details.

4) Proteinoid microspheres display the ability to control their movements,
which would be necessary for them to avoid danger or seek out concentrations
of proteinoid to grow and reproduce. This along with their ability to
respond to osmotic pressure suggests that they can react to external stimuli.
See Fox and Dose 1977 for more details.

Modern cells are cellular structures that possess an integrated metabolic
system, reproduce and respond to external stimuli; according to the
conclusions outlined above, proteinoid microspheres are also cellular
structures that possess an integrated metabolic system, reproduce and respond
to external stimuli. As such, it is valid to label proteinoid microspheres
as (proto)cells. (The qualifier recognizes that they are not modern cells,
but that they were probably the first original cells and that modern cells
could have evolved from them.)

The basic characteristics of life are cellularity, metabolism, reproduction
and response to external stimuli; according to the conclusions outlined above
proteinoid microspheres possess these basic characteristics. As such it is
valid to say that proteinoid microsphere protocells are alive.

However, proteinoid microspheres are not made from biotic processes, but from
abiotic processes, taking advantage of the ability of amino acids and
proteinoids to selectively self-assemble into nonrandom functional
structures. Furthermore, these abiotic processes can be reproduced in the
lab. Therefore, it is valid to say that proteinoid microsphere protocells
are living systems that have been abiotically synthesized in the lab.

So while I may have failed to prove that the consensus of the biological
community is that Fox synthesized life in the lab, I believe I have shown
that he in fact did exactly that.